Linn played well last week as the Lady Cats secured three wins, culminating with a 55-23 victory in the Homecoming game on Friday against South Callaway.

“We are starting to get better, playing more together and figuring out what it takes to win,” said Coach Ryan Rost. “This young group is improving with every game.”

Friday’s game was a rematch of the South Callaway consolation final, which Linn won 46-16. The Lady Bulldogs scored more in the first half, but Linn kept them in check.

“We played great, ran transition well, and really got after it defensively,” said Rost. “I loved to see all the grit and teamwork while representing our home floor for Homecoming.”

After staking to an 11-7 first-quarter lead, the Lady Cats pushed to a 27-11 halftime edge. A pair of 14-point quarters in the second half led to an easy victory as Linn held SC to two points in the final eight minutes.

On the night, the Lady Cats shot 43.1%, hitting 3-11 from the outside and 2-5 at the line.

All but two players scored for Linn as Kiana Hostetler (1-4 3PT, 1-1 FT, 3 assists, 3 steals) and Vivien Baker (6 rebounds, 2 assists, steal) scored 10 points apiece, Paige Senevey (4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals) added nine, Hannah Hackmann (2-4 3PT, 2 rebounds, assist, steal) put in eight, Elli Dudenhoeffer (2 rebounds, 3 steals) and Carley Brandt (5 rebounds) scored six each, Heslie Higginbotham (rebound) added four, and Nicole Grellner (3 rebounds, 2 assists, steal, block) finished with two.

Linn claimed a thrilling 35-32 win at Blair Oaks on Thursday.

“This was a great team win,” said Coach Rost. “Despite their record, they have a talented group over there and can be tough to defend. We came up with a game plan to slow down some of their scoring and executed it very well. We still struggled offensively a bit, but it was, by far, the best team win of the season for us. I loved our toughness and ability to battle.”

Linn trailed 11-10 after the first quarter but took a 20-18 lead by halftime. Blair Oaks won the third 6-4 to knot the game at 24. A back-and-forth final quarter ended with the Lady Cats on top, 14-8, for the win.

Hostetler (1-4 3PT, 11-18 FT, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks) had a stellar performance with 18 points to pace the game. Dudenhoeffer (3-4 FT, 2 rebounds, 6 steals) added seven points, followed by Senevey (2 rebounds) with five, H. Hackmann (1-5 3PT, 3 rebounds, steal) with three, Grellner (2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, block) and Baker (9 rebounds, block) with two points each, and Higginbotham (2 rebounds) with one.